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My dearest Gatsby, I just can’t get enough of you. We’ve had four exquisite trysts, each one better than the last. We first met when I was a pretentious college sophomore who thought reading the modern classics would make me ‘interesting’ … Continue reading →

I hadn’t planned on re-reading The Great Gatsby, but after finishing Careless People, a book about Gatsby‘s creation, I couldn’t resist! I’ve read this book twice before, and I was eager to re-read it hot on the heals of a book about the … Continue reading →

THE GREAT GATSBY
by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I hadn’t planned on re-reading The Great Gatsby, but after finishingCareless People, a book about Gatsby‘s creation, I couldn’t resist! I’ve read this book twice before, and I was eager to re-read it hot on the heals of a book about the factors that influenced its writing.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s second novel centers around Anthony Patch and his beautiful wife Gloria. Inspired by Scott and Zelda themselves, this couple live wildly in 1920s New York, seeking pleasure at any cost. Anthony, a would-be aristocrat waiting for his … Continue reading →

THE BEAUTIFUL AND DAMNED
by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Fiction
Vintage; 1920
Paperback; 388 pages
Source: Purchased

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s second novel centers around Anthony Patch and his beautiful wife Gloria. Inspired by Scott and Zelda themselves, this couple live wildly in 1920s New York, seeking pleasure at any cost.

Anthony, a would-be aristocrat waiting for his inheritance, spends his bachelor days at clubs, attending raucous parties, and entertaining women. When he meets Gloria, a beautiful golden girl bursting with life, he immediately falls in love with her. The two marry and proceed to have as grand a time as possible. Continue reading →

“The high life of New York! Who could blame her if she was carried away by the glitter of it all, vanishing into the bright morning of the amber window borders or into distant and entrancing music as the door opened and closed that led to the ballroom? The toast of the shining town.”

2012 is turning out to be a huge year for movie adaptations of amazing books! The first half of the year saw the release of the movie version of contemporary favorite The Hunger Games, and this fall and winter will see the release of film adaptations to seven really great books — although I must admit I have read only five of them. Read on for trailers, release dates, casting info, and my thoughts! Continue reading →

Hello all! I thought I’d introduce a new segment on my blog. Each Friday, I will feature a beautiful quote from a book I love, moving words from an author, or an insightful comment about books and reading. So kick back, relax, and start off your weekend with this quote from one of my favorite books, The Great Gatsby:

“All night the saxophones wailed the hopeless comment of the Beale Street Blues while a hundred pairs of gold and silver slippers shuffled the shining dust. At the grey tea hour there were always rooms that throbbed incessantly with this low, sweet fever, while fresh faces drifted here and there like rose petals blown by the sad horns around the floor.”

I love the way Fitzgerald evokes the opulence and hedonism of the ’20s while also conveying the emptiness of it all. And, of course, I’m a sucker for alliteration, and “silver slippers shuffled the shining dust” is as good as they come!

THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Fiction
Scribner, 2004 (first published 1925)
Paperback, 180 pages

I first read The Great Gatsby my sophomore year of college, over two years ago. I read most of it while laying on a blanket in the sun outside my dorm, and I enjoyed it, but it didn’t really leave any lasting impression on me. I wasn’t struck by the “this is the greatest book of the 20th century” lighting bolt. The book faded from my mind until my English professor (I’m taking Modern American Literature) started referencing it while talking about the books we were reading for class a few weeks ago. I figured I should reread it to better understand what he was talking about, so I picked up a copy from Barnes & Noble. (Is the 2004 Scribner edition pretty or what?)

My aim here is just to give a few of my thoughts on the novel, rather than a comprehensive review. Continue reading →